Impalement-trap for house-breakers



(No Mom.)

E. EISEER. l

'IMPALEMENT TRAE EOR HOUSE BREAKERS. No. 355,070. Patented Deo. 28, 1886.v

NTTED STATES PATENT Trice.

EMERYFISHER, OF CORDAVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPALEIVIENT-TRAP FQR HOUSE-BREAKERS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,070, dated December 28, 1886.

Application filed June 16, 1886. Serial No. `5205.349. (No model.) I

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMERY FISHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gordaville, in the county of lVorcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lIouse-Protectors,l and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be afull, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled` in the art to which io it apporta-ins to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to lprovide a house-protector which will guard thepremises, whether they be bank, store, or dwelling, against the entrance of a house-breaker or burglar, and at the same time will entrap and secure the burglar, so that he may be brought `to summary justice. The protector can be applied to structures already erected as well as to buildings under course of erection, and,

2o besides. serving the useful purpose indicated,

may serve to ornament -the window to which it is attached.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing ends the invention consists in the constructiomand 2 5 in the combination of parts, hereinafter particularly described, and then sought to be specifically defined bythe claims.

In the drawings forming part hereof, Figure lis a front elevation of a window, looking from 3o the inside, having my invention applied thereto, parts being in section and the protector set for action. -Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section' through the same.

The letter A designates a window-frame provided with the upper and lower sashes B and C, all of which parts are generally of the ordinary and well-known construction.

The sides of the frame in front of the sash are formed in any suitable'way, with ways D io extending from the top to the bottom of the frame, and in these ways fit the opposite side edges of a slide, E. This slide is weighted in any suitable manner, preferably by construct' ing it of boi1eriron or oth'er suitable metal,

.i5 and is formed at its side edges ,with ratchet,-

teeth a, and along its lower or bottom edge is provided with downwardly-projecting pins or teeth F, which are preferably concealed by a hanging fringe, G. The lower part of the o slide from which the teeth project is preferably cut away or recessed, as seen at one side in Fig. 1, where the fringe is out away, as at b, to show the construction, so that the teeth will terminate on a line with the lower edge of the slide, as seen in that figure. The slide is raised vby a chain or rope, H, connected to the upper end ofthe slide and passed over` pulleys ,I and J, and thendown one side to the lower part of the frame, where it is connected with a suitable catch-for instance, with a finger or pin, K. It is preferably connected with this pin nearer to one end than to the other, so that the pin can be more easily disengaged from a notch, c, formedin the side of the frame, as illustrated in Fig. 1.- The short end of this pin engages with a notch, d, formed the window-sill M. .The sill is preferably recessed, so that the bar will lie in it, the bar weight of the slide will cause it to fall by gravity until checked by striking an object between it and the sill. It will thus be seen that when a burglar raises the sash and rests his hand or body on the sill or bar in entering j through the window he at once releases the catch and is caught between the slide and window-sill.

The slide is prevented from beingraised by the man between it and the sill by means of spring-catches N, secured to the window-frame in recesses formed therein, and made to project inwardly so as to engage with the ratohet- Y teeth on the sides of the slide. These springcatches maybe formed with ratchet-teeth g to engage the ratchet teeth of the slide. The catches are also formed with fingers @which project through openings i, made in the frame,

so that a bar (indicated by dotted lines in Fig.'

l and designated by the letter O) may be eX- tended across the sash and pressed against the iingers to hold the saine out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth of the slide, and thus permit the slide to be raised. When the pro- -in a springactuated bar, L, connected with tector is set for action, the cross-bar is removed so that when the slide `falls its teeth will engage With the spring-catches.

If the burglar happens to vbe in a somewhat raised posture when the slide strikes him and stoops or bends to get from beneath it, the slide wi1l,\by its weight, quickly follow the downward movement of the body and so hold the burglar. It cannot be'raised by him, because every time it makes a movement down- Ward the spring-catches engage with another tooth in the sides of the slide and so prevent it from being raised. rlhe spring-catches are toohigh up to be reached from the'outside, and consequently the protector can only be released from the inside, so that theburglar will be held until captured and released from the inside of the building. y

Both sides of the slide will be painted and decorated, so as io be ornamental and look like a blind or curtain.

During the day, and when the protector is not to be operated, the slide is held up securely and safely by a hook, P, hinged thereto and engaging with an eye, Q, in the upper part of the window-frame.

I have described suitable means for carrying out my invention, but do not restrict myself to details of construction of the several parts, as it is obvious that they may be altered Without departing from the spirit of my invention. l

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is V 1. The combination, with a window, of the vertically-moving slide formed with ratchetteeth, the spring-catches connected with the window-frame to engage with said teeth, the rope connected with the slide and connected with the catch at its lower end, and the springactuated bar at the sill of the window, engag` ing with the catch connected to said rope, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The `combination, with the window, of the vertically-moving slide, a catch connected with the slide and serving to hold it in an elevated position, and a bar located at the base of the window and operating on said catch to release it and permit the slide to fall, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my si gnatu re in presence of two witnesses.

EMERY FISHER. [1.. sj Witnesses:

DEXTER NEWTON, ADA M. NEWTON. 

